pierce



(ModeL) T. ELLIS & C. I. PIERCE.

CLOTHES DRIER.

No. 249,511. Patented Nov. 15,1881.

(f/ZQZM I INVENTOBS/ JZQMW 9 6 Attorneys UNITED STATES THEADEUS ELLIS AND CLARENCE I.

PATENT OFFICE.

PIERCE, OF NORTH nreuron, MASS.

CLOTHES-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,511, dated November 15, 1881.

- Applicationfiled July 22,1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, THEADEUS ELLIS and CLARENcE I. PrEncE, of North Digh ton, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful I mprovements in Clothes-Driers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to'make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved clothes-drier with its arms extended rcadyfor use. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same and Fig. 3 is a central vertical section showing the adaptation of the drier-frame to a tent-frame.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

ur invention has relation to convertible clothes-driers; and it consists in the construction and combination of parts of afoldin g frame for supporting the clothes-line, which, when reversed upon its central post or upright, constitutes a. convenient tent-frame, substantially as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claim. i

In the annexed drawings, A is a post, which is firmly planted in the ground, and provided with a cap, a, and center bore or recess, b, to receive the pintle B of a short post, B, upon the sides of which the arms C (preferably four in number) are hinged. The lower fixed post or upright, A, has a side plate, 0, through which works a thumb-screw, (l, pointing with its inner end, which projects into the recess 1), against acircumferential groove, 6, on the pintle B. It

' follows that by-tightening the thumb-screw cl the upper post, B, may be fixed rigidly in its lowerpost or support, A, while, when the point of the screw projects into the groove 6 without binding or pressing against the pintle, the upper part, B, is enabled to rotate upon its support A, but cannot in that position of the screw be detached therefrom. This detachable up per part, B, has a pintle, B in its opposite end, constructed in like manner as B, with a circumferential groove,-e. It also has four curved arms, D, set at right angles to one another and inserted through slots or mortises fin the hinged arms C. These armsare about six feet in length, more or less, and hinged at theirinnerends in brackets E, which are bolted upon the sides of the center piece, B, so as to have an easy up-and-down motion.

The 'mortises f should be lined with metal -to prevent undue wear of the wood, and on one in any given position upon the curved guide-,

arms D.

His the clothes-line, of which a frame with six-foot arms, four in number, will carry about one hundred and forty feet, more or less, the parallel rows of line being about one foot and one inch apart, which gives abundant room' for the circulation of air between the clothes suspended upon the frame.

I is an ornamental cap ortop piece, which is placed upon the upper pintle, B when the device is used as a clothes-drier.

To use it as a tent-frame, the upper part, B, with its arms is reversed upon the stationary post A and the cap-piece I placed over the pintle B, as shownin Fig. 3 of the drawings. A tent -coverin g, K, of canvas or other suitable material, is stretched over the arms C, which are properly adjusted upon their guide-arms D, the covering being fastened upon the arms by buttons 6 or other suitable fastening devices. The top part of the covering should be made with pockets to accommodate the thumb-screws Gwhen the frame and its covering are folded, like an umbrella, for transportation and stor age.

Having thus described our invention, we claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States-- The reversible frame composed of the center piece, B, having pintles B B rigid curved guide-arms D,'hinged arms C, slotted atf, and provided with the thumb-screws G buttons t, and clothes-line H, in combination with the fixed post or standard A; having cap-piece al, 5

central here or recess, 12, and thu-mbscrew d, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereunto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

THEADEUS ELLIS. CLARENCE I. PIERCE. Witnesses:

MYR-A F. COBB, GEORGE A. KING.

IOO 

